TAJIKISTAN – A round-table discussion entitled “Hydroelectric Issues in Central Asia: Compromise Possible?” was held in Dushanbe on June 12. The independent experts, politicians and government officials from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan who attended the meeting discussed issues related to the construction of the Rogun hydroelectric power plant in Tajikistan and the Kambaratinsk hydroelectric plant in Kyrgyzstan. The round table was organised by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR). The Uzbek government declined to send representatives to the meeting in Dushanbe.
According to the director of the Tajik Centre for Strategic Research, Suhrob Sharipov, a solution must be found to the issue of the use of hydroelectric resources. No other government, he said, should interfere with the construction of the Rogun hydroelectric power plant since the hydroelectric complex is being built on the River Vakhsh, which is not a trans-border river. The Vakhsh passes 100 kilometres from the border with Uzbekistan and merges with the River Pyandzh. “What is very important is that the nations in the region live in peace and harmony, but they must also have heating and lighting. The Uzbek authorities and experts are being very critical with regard to the construction of the Rogun hydroelectric plant, but are not themselves offering anything. The process of building Rogun has begun and cannot be stopped”, Sharipov emphasised.
Bulat Auyelbayev, a representative of the Kazakh Centre for Strategic Research, believes it is a government’s right to use its country’s natural resources, including water. On the other hand, he said, Uzbekistan’s position is understandable since the Uzbek government is being forced to reduce the amount of irrigated land used for cotton-growing and this could lead to discontent among the country’s rural population. “Just as the Tajik government fears public anger over the lack of lighting and heating, the Uzbek authorities fear discontent because of water shortages and a reduction in the amount of irrigated land”, the expert commented.
Rashid Gani Abdullo, a Tajik political analyst, asserts that a compromise is possible if political and economic conditions are equal in all countries in the region. In his view, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan will stand on an equal political footing on the issue of the use of hydroelectric resources only after the Rogun and Kambaratinsk hydroelectric plants have been built.
According to the director of the Tajik Centre for Strategic Research, Suhrob Sharipov, a solution must be found to the issue of the use of hydroelectric resources. No other government, he said, should interfere with the construction of the Rogun hydroelectric power plant since the hydroelectric complex is being built on the River Vakhsh, which is not a trans-border river. The Vakhsh passes 100 kilometres from the border with Uzbekistan and merges with the River Pyandzh. “What is very important is that the nations in the region live in peace and harmony, but they must also have heating and lighting. The Uzbek authorities and experts are being very critical with regard to the construction of the Rogun hydroelectric plant, but are not themselves offering anything. The process of building Rogun has begun and cannot be stopped”, Sharipov emphasised.
Bulat Auyelbayev, a representative of the Kazakh Centre for Strategic Research, believes it is a government’s right to use its country’s natural resources, including water. On the other hand, he said, Uzbekistan’s position is understandable since the Uzbek government is being forced to reduce the amount of irrigated land used for cotton-growing and this could lead to discontent among the country’s rural population. “Just as the Tajik government fears public anger over the lack of lighting and heating, the Uzbek authorities fear discontent because of water shortages and a reduction in the amount of irrigated land”, the expert commented.
Rashid Gani Abdullo, a Tajik political analyst, asserts that a compromise is possible if political and economic conditions are equal in all countries in the region. In his view, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan will stand on an equal political footing on the issue of the use of hydroelectric resources only after the Rogun and Kambaratinsk hydroelectric plants have been built.
source: http://www.centralasiaonline.com
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